Romans Chapter 10 Vs. 16

 

The Message of Salvation to All

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? Rom 10:16

Lord, who hath... The 9th Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Romans (Rom. 10:16; Isa. 53:1). Next, Rom. 10:19. Paul here answers a question in the Jewish mind thus: "But they have not all obeyed the gospel"; that is, if the gospel was of God it should have divine success, and so, since many do not believe it, then it must not be of God. Paul proves by prophecy that many would not believe and obey the gospel (Isa. 53:1). God sends the message, but He does not obligate people to accept and obey it (Mark 16:16; John 3:16-20; Rom. 1:16).

The good news is not only a gracious offer but a command to believe and repent. “Believed our report” is a scripture quoted from (Isa. 53:1).

The report Isaiah described was of the substitutionary death of Christ, the good news of the gospel (Isa. 53:5).

Israel’s Rejection

Paul had made it clear that God’s gracious offer of righteousness by faith was given to all, Jews and Gentiles alike (cf. Rom. 10:12). His focus in this chapter, however, has been on the people of Israel and their response to that offer (cf. Rom. 10:1). Therefore when he wrote, But not all the Israelites (the Gr. text simply says “all”) accepted the good news, he obviously had in mind the Jews’ failure to respond. (“Accepted” translates hypēkousan, a compound of the verb “to hear.” It means “to hear with a positive response,” and so “to obey, to submit to.”) This is borne out by Paul’s confirming quotation of Isa. 53:1 : Lord, who has believed our message? This failure of the Jews to respond to the good news was true in Jesus’ days on earth (John 12:37-41) and in Paul’s day as well. However, the indefinite “all” of the Greek text (Rom. 10:16) is appropriate, because the response to the gospel among the Gentiles was also far less than total.